Christmas Magic

**voice mail**


-Shit, shit, shit!

I threw my phone on the coffee's table, near.. what? the end of the world?

Yea, this is a 20 year-old girl, lost on a Starbucks, in NY.

Oh, it is also Christmas!

And it wasn't any way someone was coming to pick me, or to someone to remember about me.

OK, let's start from the beg.. ok, from the interesting part. Or from the part that I was stupid enough to tell my parents that I would TRY to come home in time for Christmas, and that MAYBE I WOULDN'T MADE IT. Which means: everyone was not conting on me. Also because they never are expecting something from me.

Since I was a little kid, I never cared about Christmas, but after I leave my home town, Boston, and went to college that I really felt the Christmas that I lost, all the time that I wasn't enjoying my family.

So now, this year everybody decided to celebrate christmas in my brothers house, Kaleb, here in NY. I did made it: i got off work in time, but I got lost in the way and the only thing that I found was this.. This Starbucks.

And no one was answering the fucking phone!

And they don't even know that they lovely daughter, useless, selfish is lost in some place in NY, without even knowing where's some hotel. Yeap. That's it. Emily Courtney, well succeed journalist in Boston is going to spend christmas on a bench.

Tell me, what do I do now?

I cry?

The son of a bitch.. hum, my brother, didn't pass me a map, or anything about his house; he barely gave me his street's name.

He was kidding with me, right?

I started to call my cousins - even them decided to spend christmas at kaleb's this year..yea! - my uncles and nothing... no one was picking it up.

-Lady? - the starbucks bartender came to me.

I dried the tears that were coming down my face, and turned to him

-Yea?

-We are closing in 20 minutes, ok?

-Oh, okay. - I tried to smile.

I finished my capuccin, but before I stand, my knees yielded a bit and I almost fall. My eyes were focused on the guy that just came in the caffeteria.
Tall - but not so much-, well protected from the cold with a black jacket, light jeans.. his hair was the same way as years ago, brown  and a little bit messy..god, and that bear around his face?

Where did all that style come from?

He looked around the tables and stopped at me, giving me a really look.

He was Jake Wildhood. My best friend since (4 grade?) ok, always. We were really close to each other, I wouldn't forget that face.

Jake closed the door - without taking his eyes from me - and came close, slowly. He must be wondering: "is that you?"

-I'm not believing in this.. - I finally said, standing up and running into his way.
And as the old times, Jake gave me that hug. That hug that only him could give me. The one that I needed right now.

-I missed you! - he said close to my ear. - what are you doing in here alone, Em? What happened?
Jake saw my crying face and looked worried.

-I'm lost, Jake. I came to celebrate christmas with my family.. Kaleb moved a few months to here, he gave me the wrong address and.. - I was gesticuling so much with my hands and shaking his head at the same time. - this is me, alone on christmas night.

-No, no, not anymore! - Jake came close again, giving me a kiss on the forehead. - c'mon, i have my car and we will try to get there.

-Are you serious?

-Of course I'm, Em. C'mon, I heard that is really going to snow tonight.

We soon leave Starbucks, got in his car - that was confy and hot - and we started to look for my brother's place.

-What happened all these years? You gone missing, girl! - Jake said, smiling.

-Yea, true. I leave Boston to study in Harvard. Then, I came back to Boston where I work as a journalist. - I laughed, remembering about our plans for colleg. - what about you?

-I'm living around here.. I love it. I'm an architect!

-Really? - I said excited. - My God! I'm so happy for you!

-Thanks for being by my side that time..

Jake was scared to deth to tell his parens the truth.. he didn't want to be a famous doctor or a good lawyer. He just always wanted to open his little architecture office and live with that.

-You didn't change a thing. - he said, looking at me and smiling. - still the same lost girl.

-Wo, don't even tell me about it! This time I broke my record.

-What were you going to do, if I didn't show up?

-Sleep on a bench?

-Are you kidding? - He laughed. - Why wouldn't you buy tickets back to Boston?

-What about the money? I didn't have any plans to come here.. I thought I was going to came in here and my brother would pick me up. Then I would buy a ticket to come back.

-You never think about the future, Em..

-Yea..

I sighed. He was right. Since I was a teenager I was like this.. always thinking about the now.

But that matter, right?

-What are you going to do tomorrow? - I asked.

-Ahn.. nothing? - Jake laughed. - I was going to spend christmas with my family too, but I dont know.. - he shrugged. - I just rather be at Starbucks and then, go home.

-Till I show up on this beautiful christmas night, holding back your plans!

-To be honest.. it was a really cool christmas gift meeting you again in here.

I look at Jake and he looked at me, stopping the car. His eyes was different this time.. but he still was the same Jake. Always helping me, always saving me.

-We are here. - He said, turning off the car. - I can come in here tomorrow, if you want?

-Jake.. come with me. - I looked quicly to the house. - the best present for me would be being with you.

-And since when do you believe in christmas, gifts.. all that stuff, huh? - He looked at me, laughing.
-Since when my best friend came from nowhere to save me. - I layed my head, looking at his lips. - as you always did.

-I missed you.

-I need you.

We said at the same time.. and then, He made me really feel the christmas magic: jake leaned over me, putting his hand on the back of my heck and I came close to him, stroking his face.

Our lips met each other with a click, and then, everything was like a dream.

I can't say if we believe in christmas magic, but I know it is real.

I feel it.

It is the same as believing in Santa: someone believe it is a fatty little guy.. others believe it is an angel that brings us peace, love, happines...

Me? I still don't believe in all this shit.

I'm already sure that Jake was my Santa, but we didn't have magic enough for me to notice that.. now we have.